Aluworks to expand production

ALUWORKS Limited has rolled out a restructuring project aimed at expanding its production capacity to 50,000 metric tonnes of aluminium products per annum.

An agreement to that effect has been signed with a Chinese firm, Zhuoshen Non Ferrous Metals Plant and Equipment Company Limited, for the installation of a modern cold rolling mill to improve productivity.

Aluworks, the only casting and rolling mill in the country, currently produces 30,000 tonnes of aluminium products.

The project, being funded by the majority shareholder, the Social Security and National Investment Trust (SSNIT), at a cost of $10 million, is expected to be completed in 24 months.

According to the Managing Director of Aluworks, Mr Kwasi Okoh, the existing mill had become inefficient and would require full rehabilitation to improve its productivity.

“Presently, 45 per cent of our products are traditionally exported to most West African countries, hence our drive to scale up productivity to solidify our hold on the rest of the market,” he told the Daily Graphic in an interview.

He said when the project was completed, it would also consolidate Aluworks’ market share across the West African sub-region.

Mr Okoh, however, expressed disappointment at the continuous influx of Chinese and Indian aluminium trading enterprises into Ghana and Nigeria.

“Chinese flat rolled aluminium products are imported, stocked and vended to companies in the West African sub-region,” he said.

“Not only do the foreign companies abuse the ECOWAS Trade Protocol; they also employ the services of Ghanaians as board members and consultants to help them perpetuate such illegalities,” he said.

Mr Okoh, therefore, appealed to the government to halt the invasion in order to promote local industrial growth and also arrest incidents of joblessness among the youth.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Aluworks, Mr Kwadwo Kwarteng, said the company was contending with serious competition that emanated from the Far East.

He said following the growth in Ghana’s economy, officials were confident that there would be greater demand for aluminium products in future.

“It is for this reason that we deem it necessary to position ourselves better to be able to meet demand,” he said.

The Executive Director of Zhuoshen Non Ferrous Metals Plant and Equipment Company Limited, Mr Sun Shuting, who signed on behalf of his company, expressed the hope that the partnership between the two companies would be a win-win situation for the two entities.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Tue July 31, 2012

Tema Railway project on course

EXPANSION work on the four-kilometre rail line from the Tema Harbour to Japan Motors at Tema Community One is expected to be completed by August this year.

The project, which began in February this year at a cost of $9.4 million, is expected to provide respite for residents who travel long distances from the community to the main harbour in their quest to access train services.

Work on the project,  which is being undertaken by Amandi Holdings, under the supervision of the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) and the Architectural  and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), is 80 per cent complete.

Rehabilitation works, which include the construction of shopping centres, a modern car park equipped with closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and a crossing facility, are being carried out at the existing main harbour station at a cost of $4.8 million.

The acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GRDA, Mr Emmanuel Opoku, disclosed this during a tour of the site by the company’s board of directors.

The delegation, led by the Board Chairman, Mr Dan Markin, also inspected work on a solar lighting project expected to power the level crossing.

He indicated that the six stop stations, namely, Japan Motors, Tema Main, Asoprochona, Batsonaa, Nungua and Achimota, were also being rehabilitated as part of service improvement process within the catchment areas.

Mr Opoku said the GRDA had also completed feasibility studies on the Tema-Akosombo rail line as part of efforts being made to revamp the line.

“We have so far received offers from consultants and individuals who want to partner the government in that regard,” he said.

He said the authority was also engaging contractors to do an evaluation of the Western rail lines which was expected to be financed under a major component of the $3 billion loan from the China Development Bank (CDB).

Mr Opoku expressed the hope that the interventions being made would revamp the sector.

 Mr  Markin expressed satisfaction with the progress of work.

He, however, expressed displeasure with squatters turning areas along the rail line into a trading hub and issued a three-day ultimatum to them to vacate the area or be forced out.

He also tasked the contractors working on the project to endeavour to provide barricades along the corridors of the project site to ward off intruders.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed July 25, 2012

Petroleum C'ssion orders operators to declare local content plan

Dr Kwabena Donkor

THE Petroleum Commission (PC) has ordered operators in the petroleum sector to submit their local content plan to the commission for scrutiny.

That, officials said, was to ensure that Ghanaians became key players in all operations in the industry, in line with the government’s policy of promoting local participation in the sector.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra last Friday, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PC, Dr Kwabena Donkor, said a Legislative Instrument (LI) to further strengthen the local content regime and also replace existing regulations formulated in 1984 was being worked on by the Attorney-General’s (A-G) Department for onward submission to Parliament for consideration and passage.

The LI, he said, would enforce existing provisions on local content and participation, as well as the development of national capabilities in all aspects of petroleum operations.

The PC, he noted, was also spearheading the formulation of a new Petroleum Exploration Law to replace the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Exploration and Production Law, PNDC Law 84 of 1983.

Dr Donkor explained that considering the fact that laws pertaining to the industry ought to be updated, the new law was expected to take cognizance of current production activities. 

“At the time PNDCL 84 was passed, Ghana was not into production, hence the need to restructure the provision in conformity with current trends,” he said.

“The commission, as managers of the country’s oil resources, must ensure that they inure to the benefit of the larger society, hence our resolve to soon lay the draft LIs before Parliament,” he said.

He said framers of the petroleum law in 1984 envisaged the need for local content, with specific reference to training Ghanaians on job specifications and in all aspects of the petroleum sector. 

“The commission is already enforcing the administrative measures and the introduction of the LI will go further to enhance existing frameworks in place,” he added.  

“It is critical that we clear the erroneous impression that there are no laws governing local content participation and development. Therefore, when people say there is no local content, they are displaying ignorance,” he added.

He said the Petroleum Commission Act of 2011 also made adequate provision for the promotion of local content and local participation in petroleum activities, as described in the Petroleum Exploration Act of 1984, and wondered why officials would not want to adhere to laid down regulations in respect of the act.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon July 23, 2012

GNPC denies not accounting for oil revenues

THE Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) says it is not true that the corporation does not render account to the state for oil revenues.

According to officials of the corporation, the GNPC was in compliance with its statutory reporting and accountability obligations and had, therefore, submitted its audited accounts to all relevant government agencies, including the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), in accordance with Article 187 of the Constitution and Section 12 of the Ghana National Petroleum Law, 1983 (PNDC Law 64).  

Senior public officials at the ongoing Summer School organised by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, STAR Ghana and IMANI Ghana said the GNPC had unilaterally appropriated public funds and failed to pay dividends on its 2011 earnings.

The corporation has also been accused of misleading the public regarding Jubilee oil production prospects and subsequently failed to account for the resources entrusted to its management, including US$207.96 million ceded to it in 2011. But GNPC officials said that was factually incorrect.

A statement issued in Accra by the acting Director of Corporate Affairs at the GNPC, Mr Eric Pwadura, said it was completely inaccurate to state that the GNPC did not render account to the state for oil revenues.

“The corporation has accounted to Parliament for its annual budget allocations from Jubilee revenue through the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning as required by the Petroleum Revenue Management Act (PRMA),” it said.

It further stated that of the $207.96 million lent the corporation by Parliament from the petroleum revenue in 2011, $132.4 million (or 63.7%) went into part repayment of the money it borrowed from the Jubilee partners, while $165.8 million went into the payment of its share of field development costs incurred since 2008.

It said $30,315,185 (or 14.6%) also went into the acquisition, processing and interpretation of 2,612 km² of 3D Seismic Data for the Southwest Deep Tano block, $28,119,624 (or 13.5%) for fabrication and installation of 14 km of deepwater pipeline as part of the Natural Gas Infrastructure Project; $7,661,475 (or 3.7%) for staff costs and $9,383,204 (or 4.5%) went towards general operational and administrative expenditure.

“These receipts and expenditures are captured in detail in our 2011 financial statement currently undergoing external audit,” the statement said.

It also debunked suggestions that the GNPC withheld revenue from the government by failing to pay the requisite dividend.

“The practice has been that the GNPC does not directly retain any revenue from the participating interest in Jubilee production. Rather, GNPC hands over 100 per cent of the gross revenue to the state, which then cedes such funds as Parliament considers necessary to cover GNPC’s share of development and production costs, annual administrative costs and its long-term capital needs,” it said.

It also said contrary to IMANI’s pessimistic assessment, the Jubilee field operations had been competent and delivered industry-leading operational and safety performances.

The corporation assured the public that as a national oil company, it saw the engagement of relevant stakeholders as central to its core mandate.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Sat July 21, 2012

Ghana Re sets eyes on bigger profits

THE Ghana Reinsurance Company Limited (Ghana Re) has intensified efforts to diversify its portfolio as part of moves to increase profitability. 

In that light, officials have opened contact offices in Cameroon and Kenya meant to harness business opportunities across the African continent.

Similarly, a process initiated in 2011 to increase the company’s capital base to ensure leverage is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

The Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors, Mr Lionel Molbila, disclosed this at a ceremony during which officials declared a GH¢1 million dividend to the government.

Although Ghana Re’s gross premium income increased to about GH¢45.91 million in 2011 from GH¢45.54 million in 2010, its net premium decreased from 93 per cent in 2010 to 90 per cent in 2011.

That, Mr Molbila said, was as a result of an increase in provision for claims arising from the October 2011 devastating floods in Accra.

He also attributed the dip to the removal of the compulsory cession which the company enjoyed.
“Following the dip, the company’s capital base has been strengthened with the sum of GH¢18,145,912 to scale up profitability ventures,” he said, adding that in spite of the challenges that impeded growth in the previous year, the domestication of life business contributed significantly to the gross increase recorded.

Mr Molbila, who used the ceremony to announce Ghana Re’s 40th anniversary slated later in the year, was optimistic that the strong outlook for 2012, coupled with a strong capital base, would ensure its profitability in the coming years.

The Director of Public Investments at the Ministry of Finance, Ms Magdalene Apenteng, who received the cheque on behalf of the government, challenged Ghana Re  to endeavour to diversify its approach to the oil and gas sector to aide its recapitalisation and profitability ventures.

She said owing to the intense competition in the insurance sector, there was the need for the managers of Ghana Re to devise strategic means to increase its output in the coming years.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur July 19, 2012

Six injured in Tema motorway accident

An injured passenger at the hospital

SIX people sustained  injuries  after a Ford bus in which they were travelling was hit by an articulated truck on the Accra Tema Motorway.

Among the injured were a 70-year-old woman who is still in an unconscious state at the Tema General Hospital.

The Aflao bound bus, with registration number GS 6813 Y, carrying 10 passengers on board, was hit by the articulated truck, with registration number GR 2028 E, around 9:15 p.m., near the Kingsway International Christian Centre, some 50 metres from the Accra Abattoir Limited.

The injured, who were rushed to the Tema General Hospital (TGH), are still receiving treatment.
The incident created a heavy traffic build-up on the motorway for over two hours.

Eye witnesses said the unidentified old woman was pulled from the mangled vehicle after onlookers managed to disentangle the van from the articulated truck.

They told the Daily Graphic that a salon vehicle  which was travelling at top speed abruptly  veered into the inner lane ahead of the van, and hastily applied its brake to avoid running into a vehicle ahead of it.

The incident, they said, forced the driver of the van, Mr David Ahiale, off  the inner lane  in his attempt to avoid  hitting the salon car from behind.

The articulator truck, they said, unexpectedly smashed into the van from the passenger side and dragged it along the route, injuring the passengers in the process.

The driver of the bus, Mr Ahiale, who escaped unhurt, told the Daily Graphic that he was returning to Aflao after purchasing an engine at Abbosey Okai when the accident occurred.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Thur July 19, 2012 

Gender Advocacy groups call for passage of bill

TWO gender advocacy groups have expressed concern over what they described as the delay in the passage of the Intestate Succession Bill by parliament.

The two, the African Women Lawyers Association (AWLA) and the Leadership and Advocacy for Women in Africa (LAWA Ghana) maintained that the passage of the bill had been delayed because some of the parliamentarians do not fully appreciate the concerns of women as capture under the lay.

They have therefore urged Parliament, to as a matter of urgency, pass the bill without further delay, since the House was due to rise soon.

The bill which was first laid in parliament in 2009 for the first reading is at the Consideration Stage.

It is intended to address shortfalls in the Intestate Succession Law, 1985, which has been in operation for more than 26 years.

Last month, parliament called on the general public to make an input into the Intestate Succession Bill, to enable it to come out with a law that will eliminate the anomalies in the present PNDC Law 111 relating to Intestate Succession.

The House made the call at a press conference addressed by the Deputy Majority Leader, Alhaji Rashid Pelpuo, the Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, and the Chairman of the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, Mr Emmanuel Kwasi Bandua.

Addressing a press conference to re-echo the need for the early passage of the bill, the Executive Director of LAWA, Ms Shiela Minkah-Premo indicated that in spite of the fact that the Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee of Parliament and other stakeholders have completed a nation-wide public educational campaign to sensitise the public to the provisions of the bill and collated imputs from the public, the passage of the bill continues to be delayed, and accused members of the committee of "attempting to put negative views and barriers in the minds of people on the provisions of this progressive law”.

“There appears to be a trend in Parliament where there is a reluctance to enact any Bill that has gender undertones”, and mentioned the domestic Violence Bill, which was passed into law in 2007, as an example.

 According to her, development partners such as Star Ghana, the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP), who have been involved in the funding of the consultative processes, need to see positive results and that would  only happen when the bill is passed.

The Executive Director of AWLA, Ms Edna Kuma said owing to a lot of women not being informed about their rights, there was the need to put in place the necessary mechanisms that would ensure an adequate protection regime for them.

The Chief Director of the Ministry of Women’s and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Mr Gershong Kumor, also reiterated the concerns of the two groups, and said there was the need to pass the bill before the general elections in December.

Last month, parliament called on the general public to make an input into the Intestate Succession Bill, which is currently before it to enable it to come out with a law that will eliminate the anomalies in the present PNDC Law 111 relating to Intestate Succession, which was enacted 26 years ago.

But some of the provisions of the PNDCL 111 have in their current state proved inimical to the interest of the immediate family of people who die intestate.

The bill has been in Parliament for the past three years and a lot of public inputs had been sought to make the eventual law a solid one because both the Majority and the Minority sides of the House were unanimous that a better law would be passed if the public was allowed to make additional inputs.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Tue July 17, 2012

3 grabbed for murder of Italian businesswoman

The 3 suspects (from left), Gariba, Agyemang and Awudu

THREE suspected armed robbers have been arrested by the police in connection with the murder of an Italian business woman, Poaloa Badalass, 49, in Accra on June 18, 2012.

They are Mumuni Fuseini Gariba, alias Borga, 32; Awudu Mumuni, alias Baba Ayittey, 45, and Charles Agyemang, alias Nana Yaw, 23.

They were arrested in separate swoops organised by the police in Kumasi and at Weija Zongo in Accra.

Gariba was the first to be arrested at Weija when a Nokia C2 mobile phone retrieved at the crime scene was traced to him.

Briefing journalists in Accra yesterday, the Greater Regional Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent Frank Adufati, said Gariba, in his caution statement, admitted to having shot the Italian woman in the head when he and his accomplices opened fire on a VW Passat saloon car, with registration number GT 6997-10, which was driven by Donnini Lorenzo, a partner of the deceased’s.

According to Chief Supt Adufati, the three suspects, after the attack, made away with a bag containing travelling documents, three mobile phones, a laptop and cash of GH¢695 and 1,000 euros.

He said investigations so far conducted by the police indicated that Gariba, an ex-convict, was released from jail in February 2012 after serving a two-year jail term at the Nsawam Maximum Security Prison.

He said Gariba was arrested for stealing in 2010 and was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour, but he appealed against his conviction and,had his sentence was reduced to two years.

He indicated that prior to that, he had served as a remand prisoner from 2003 to 2009 for stealing and was released through the Justice for All Programme in 2009 and in 2010.

According to Chief Supt Adufati, the Italian woman was in the company of two other Italian businessmen, Mr Lorenzo and Mr Rossono Lungi, who had arrived in the country on April 16, 2012 to look for distributors for products.

He said the deceased and the partners, who had earlier resided in Ashaiman, later relocated to Teshie-Malik on June 17, 2012.

He said about 12 midnight on June 18, 2012, Badalass, in the company of her partners and a female Ghanaian friend, Angela Addico, were attacked at the entrance to their house while returning from from Osu in a VW Passat saloon car.

The deceased, who was seated in the front passenger seat, was hit in the head and was subsequently rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where she passed away about 5 p.m. the following day.

The Crime Office said Gariba mentioned Mumuni, a bicycle repairer, and Agyemang as his accomplices when he was arrested on June 20, this year.

He said a taxi driver, whose name was given only as Pee-co-pe, who was suspected to have driven the suspects to the scene, was also being sought for by the police to help in investigations.

Supt Adufati said the three would be arraigned, while further investigations continued.

SOURCE: Mary Mensah & Della Russel Ocloo, Daily  Graphic, Tue July 17, 2012

39 Ghana Post employees embezzle over GH¢1m

THIRTY-NINE employees of the Ghana Post Company have allegedly embezzled funds amounting to GH¢1,016,572 belonging to the company.

The money was allegedly embezzled by the employees in the Ashanti, Western, Volta, Brong-Ahafo, Greater Accra, Eastern and Central regions between 2005 and 20I2.

The highest case of embezzlement was detected in the Ashanti Region, where an employee, Ms Louisa Agyemang, is reported to have embezzled GH¢357,153 of  Western Union funds.

Ms Agyemang, who has so far refunded GH¢2,000, is currently standing trial at an Accra Circuit Court.

 A document sighted by the Daily Graphic indicated that while majority of the suspects were alleged to have embezzled Western Union funds, others were indicted for missing counterfoil receipts and stealing school fees paid by students of senior high schools.

According to the document, some employees were also found to have duplicated Ghana Post cheques, stolen and tampered with express mail and printed fake postage stamps.

The company, it said, further detected that the rest of the employees had impersonated other workers, embezzled Instant Money Transfer (IMT) funds and were responsible for missing EMS receipts.

The document explained that while Ghana Post had summarily dismissed some employees for vacating their post, others were on the run after their cases were referred to the police for investigation.

It said the company had resorted to court action to retrieve the money from the affected employees.

So far, the document indicated, GH¢94,453 had been refunded by the employees, while GH¢923,535 was still outstanding.

When contacted, the General Manager in charge of Corporate Services and Marketing at Ghana Post, Mr Kwabena Otuo-Acheampong, confirmed the fraudulent deals to the Daily Graphic.

He, however, declined further comment because some of the cases were still under investigation.
“I am aware many such cases have been recorded in some of the regions where colossal sums of money have been embezzled,” he said.

He said Ghana Post was also conducting detailed auditing of its accounts and would make public the findings as and when they were available.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Mon July 16, 2012

More trouble for STX Ghana, as government withdraws sovereign guarantee

Works and Housing Minister, E.T Mensah

THE government has withdrawn its sovereign guarantee for STX Ghana following its decision to exit from the STX housing project, the Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, has said.

Consequently, the government, on May 5, 2012, directed the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning and Barclays Bank Ghana to suspend the guarantee in respect of the housing project.

In an interview in Accra on Thursday, Mr Mensah advised managers of STX Ghana to desist from its public posturing that it still had a binding contract in connection with the $1.5 million concessional facility meant to finance the project.

But, Mr Bernard Kwame Asamoah, one of the partners of STX Ghana, dismissed the statement made by the minister, saying that no communication had been made to him regarding government’s withdrawal of its sovereign guarantee for the company.

“I was out of the country and just returned. Therefore, I may have to cross-check the information you are relaying to me,” he told Daily Graphic.

A sovereign guarantee is an undertaking given by host countries to assure project lenders that the government will take certain actions or refrain from taking certain actions affecting the project.

The government provided a sovereign guarantee to serve as a financial backbone for STX Ghana in the execution of the government’s housing project meant to provide some 30,000 housing units for the security services.

Mr Mensah said the off-taker agreement entered into with STX Korea had since ceased to exist, following the Cabinet’s decision to back out of the deal.

According to him, the project became stillborn because of changes in the shareholding structure of STX Ghana, a development which prompted the Korean partners to drag their Ghanaian partner, Mr Asamoah, to court over alleged falsification of corporate documents and unlawful reconstitution of the board.

“Government’s position is that since there is no binding contract, STX Ghana should stop parading itself that it still possesses the $1.5 million guarantee to execute the project,” Mr Mensah said.

“The managers only came to waste everybody’s time by holding the nation to ransom in connection with the deal,” he added.

The minister said lands allocated to the company for the housing project had since been repossessed by the government.

He said the government was patiently waiting for a report from the Attorney-General’s Office in connection with claims it could make of the aborted project.

Mr Mensah also charged government functionaries to avoid according managers of STX Ghana platforms relating to the project which had since ceased to exist.

The government, in April this year, announced its decision to pursue STX Korea for the recovery of all government investments, as well as assets, it provided for the intended execution of the abandoned STX housing project.

President John Evans Atta Mills, on January 27, 2011, cut the sod for the commencement of the project, which at the time was expected to be the biggest investment made by the government in the housing sector.

The project was, however, fraught with problems resulting from the Korean and Ghanaian partners engaging in a turf war over ownership and control of the company. 

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Fri July 13, 2012 

Conference on Maritime Security opens

Transport Minister, Collins Dauda

THE Second annual West Africa Maritime Security conference aimed at identifying innovative methods to deal with piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf  of Guinea opened in Accra yesterday.

The program, jointly organised  by the Hanson Wade, a United Kingdom (UK) based oranisation working to overcome life threatening dangers of maritime piracy and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), follows the serious  threat maritime piracy continue to pose to international shipping and trade, in hot spots, including West Africa.

With economic situations in the sub-region dwindling and joblessness among the teeming youth on the ascendency, piracy and armmed robery have increased.

Lack of good governance, peace and political stability, as well as the lack of comprehensive strategy at national and regional levels were said to be derailing efforts to address maritime piracy incident.

Maritime and security experts attending the two day workshop would among other things formulate new cooperations needed to prevent the region from being affected in the coming months and years.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Minister of Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda said that following the adoptation of new strategies by pirates , there was an urgent need for joint efforts by states for enhanced maritime security globally.

According to him, the global piracy scourge of about 544 cases in 2011 of which 47 of such cases were recorded at the anchorages  of the West African sub-region, were clear indication for a more concerted approach to mitigate effects.

Following the United Nation (UN) Security Council’s unanimous decision in 2011 to adopt a resolution condemning criminal acts of maritime piracy across the West African sub-region, the Government of Ghana (GoG), amended the Ghana Maritime Security act of 2004, to ensure the effective enforcement of maritime security measures.

“The Ghana Maritime protection of offshore operations and assets regulation, legislative instrument (LI)2009 of 2012 have also been put in place intended to adequately ensure stringent protection regime”, Alhaji Dauda said.

He said the Ghana Maritime Authourity (GMA) was also in the advance stage of implementing the vessel traffic management information system, an intergrated electronic surveillance system intended to enhance  the country’s maritime domain awareness for purposes of combating piracy and armed robbery within Ghana’s maritime jurisdiction.

He assured that government would continue to develope appropriate instruments and guidelines to address incidents of piracy across board.

The Director General of the GMA, Mr Peter Issaka Azumah, said that owing to maritime piracy, becoming a profitable venture to perpetrators, pirates have today devised sophisticated technology and were able to adapt operational tactical patterns to outwit coast guards.

“The troubling aspect of pirates’ criminal business is the related increasing violence of hostages and murder”, Mr Azumah lamented.

He said about 2000 seafarers were taken hostage in 2006 alone, costing the global economy some $12 billion.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed July 11, 2012

EC has not rejected NDP colours - Parry

Interim NDP Chair, Dr Josiah Aryee

THE Electoral Commission (EC) has denied media reports that it has rejected the colours submitted by the National Democratic Party (NDP) for registration as a political party.

According to officials, the NDP is yet to return to the commission the standard registration forms after it had applied to be registered as a political party.

The acting Director of Public Relations at the EC, Mr Christian Owusu Parry, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the commission had not taken any such decision on the colours of the NDP.

The Deputy Chairman in Charge of Operations at the EC, Mr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, was reported to have told the media that the NDP had been advised to work on its colours to conform with section 10 of the political parties act since the black, red, white and green colours they had presented violated the Political Parties Act 574.

The party has been accordingly advised to work on its colours to conform with section 10 of the Act, which states that  “No prospective political party shall submit to the Commission for the purpose of registration under this Act any identifying symbol, slogan, colour or name which is the same as the symbol, slogan, colour or name of any other registered political party; or of the Republic; or which so closely resembles the symbol, slogan, colour or name of a registered political party or the Republic as to be likely to deceive or confuse members of the public.” Mr Katanka was reported to have said.

Mr Owusu Parry however indicated that Mr Kantaka only explained the circumstances under which the colours submitted by a political party could be rejected.

“He did not make any categorical statement in reference to the NDP’s colours”, Mr Parry said, adding that it was only when the NDP had submitted the registration forms that the EC would scrutinise the documents and act appropriately.

“We would begin scrutinising the colours when they return the forms.Until then, no such decision can be taken in the absence of the application forms”, he reiterated.

The interim chairman of the NDP, Dr Nii Armah Josiah Aryee, had also rubbished the report, saying no such issues were raised regarding the party colours at the time when officials forwarded the application.

According to him, they had done careful enquiries which suggested that their colours had not been rejected.

“ We have at the moment hit the road to ensure founding members nationwide append their signatures as required by the laid down regulations”, Dr Aryee said.

The NDP, made of up of aggrieved members of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), on July 4, this year, submitted application for registration after months of speculation on the formation of a new party by a former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.

The party which has hinted of its decision to contest the upcoming December elections has  named Dr Aryee as its interim chairman, awaiting a final certification from the EC.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed July 11, 2012

Dominion University to admit students in September

Duncan Williams (facing camera) and Dr Spio Garbrah (right)

THE Dominion University College (DUC) is set to admit its first batch of students for the 2012-2013 academic year this September.

The students are expected to take various degree programmes in administration, theological studies and computer science.

The Chancellor of the university, Archbishop Nicholas Duncan Williams, disclosed this at the governing council meeting held at the college premises in Accra.

He announced that partnership programmes were underway to affiliate the school to some universities in the United States of America (USA) to serve as mentorship and career development capacities for students.

For his part, the acting President of the College, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, said a human development process would be the core mandate of the DUC’s quest to maintain focus and ensure distinctivenesss.

According to him, owing to the competitive nature in which the school will operate, there is the need to implement alternative services that will ensure that DUC becomes a world class institution.

He said organisational policy documents had been put in place, bearing in mind human capacity and occupational development, as well as ethics and research policies that would make sure the college attained a world class recognition.

Dr Spio-Garbrah also announced that a quality assurance committee, to be headed by a quality assurance officer, was being put in place to ensure that DUC did not compromise on standards set by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) and its affiliate body, the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

Dr Garbrah expressed the hope that the DUC would further enhance the country’s human resource development as part of efforts to raise transformational leaders.

The DUC, a private tertiary educational institution, dedicated to excellence in education, was founded in 2010 by Archbishop Duncan Williams of the Christian Action Faith Ministries International (CAFMI).

The college also inaugurated a press corps to further develop a closer relationship with journalists and the various media houses in the country.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Wed July 11, 2012

Fair to showcase Indian businesses, products opens in Accra

A THREE-DAY  trade fair opened in Accra yesterday to showcase Indian businesses and products to the local market.

 The exposition is part of efforts by the Indian government to deepen and diversify its engagement with Ghana and the rest of Africa.

The fair, put together by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), with the support of the Indian government, is on the theme: “The India show: Land of limitless opportunities”.

One hundred exhibitors have displayed items from sectors such as agriculture and allied activities, the services sector, including health, Information Technology (IT), telecom and financial services.

Manufacturing inputs in the areas of mining and minerals, energy, infrastructure, construction, consumer durables, pharmaceuticals, science and technology, textiles and education are also on display.

Over 200 business leaders who accompanied India’s Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles, Mr Anand Sharma, are expected to engage in business discussions with Ghanaian and West African business representatives who are participating in the fair.

According to Mr Sharma, although the West African sub-region was noted for small and medium-scale enterprises, trade volumes between the sub-region and India over the past years rose to about $20 billion.

He charged ECOWAS industries and stakeholder bodies to endeavour to increase investment to $40 billion by 2015.

“India will continue to share its technology to address developmental challenges in Africa, since the technology is best suited for the region in the common quest of Africa’s development,” he said.

He indicated the Indian government’s intention to situate the African Institute of Technology in the country to further aide technological advancement.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Hannah Tetteh, said the large number of business people participating in the programme was a clear demonstration of the Indian government’s vote of confidence in Ghana’s democratic credentials, in spite of Ghana’s general election in December this year.

She said India’s continued partnership had resulted in significant development in all spheres across the country.

The minister said Ghana’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 14 per cent recorded in 2011 was a clear indication that the years ahead would be rewarding and profitable.

While luring the business delegation to explore all available investment opportunities that had the tendency to grow beyond mutual cooperation to profitability, Ms Tetteh expressed the hope that India’s engagement with the West African sub-region and beyond would be reciprocal.

The leader of the delegation, Mr Vikramjit Singh Sahney, in his address, indicated that the recent growth rate in Africa should be a test case for the continent to scale up its activities in the global market.

"With the unfolding of the new economic global landscape focusing on strengthening South-South synergies, West Africa, with its strong economic fundamentals, holds great promise for the future,” he said.

He said South-South cooperation held the key to unlock the potential and create better opportunities for Africa.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Tue July 10, 2012

Pennsylvania Trade Mission visits Ghana

A 15-MEMBER trade delegation from the Pennsylvania Trade Mission of the United States has visited the country to explore business and investment opportunities.

The visit, under the auspices of uniBank Ghana, is to allow members of the delegation to explore opportunities in the areas of trade and industry, tourism, lands and mineral resources, education, environment, science and technology, agriculture and energy.

According to the President of the African and Caribbean Business Council, Dr Azuka Anyiam, who led the delegation, the objective of the visit was to develop investment relations in three different areas — government to government, business to business and a new way of engaging Africa.

The group has held similar fora in Liberia and Nigeria, where they helped with the development of post-secondary school curriculum as part of Liberia’s reformation of its educational systems.

Players in the petroleum and environmental sectors, construction, housing and waste management attended the one-day forum that saw the delegation engaging Ghanaian officials in partnership deals.

“We believe mutual co-operation at the business-to-business level will increase economic development, which will also decrease joblessness among the teeming African youth,” Dr Azuka said.

He announced that the mission would engage officials of the waste management company, Zoomlion, on waste collection and transportation, as well as the development of complete waste disposing solutions.

He expressed the hope that the visit would provide better opportunities for players in the above mentioned sectors, while guaranteeing better economic reforms across the board.

The Managing Director of uniBank Ghana, Mr Felix Nyarko-Pong, told the delegation that the economic fundamentals of Ghana, which are gradually moving towards a middle-income status, presented the right opportunities for the group to better explore enhanced opportunities.

He said the gains made in the telecommunications, finance and transportation sectors were clear demonstrations that investor partnership with Ghana would be results oriented.

SOURCE: Della Russel Ocloo, Daily Graphic, Sat July 7, 2012